The instructor hopes to improve the early detection, evaluation, and intervention for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, Scheuermann’s disease, and adult-onset scoliosis in order to facilitate best practices for clinicians seeing these patients.

Course Description and Objectives
Scoliosis and hyperkyphosis are often under-diagnosed and under-treated conditions in both children and adults. Whereas treatment for these conditions requires hands-on advanced continuing education, clinicians will benefit from improved understanding of diagnostic criteria of scoliosis and hyperkyphosis, including: identifying clinical signs of scoliosis and hyperkyphosis in adults and children, referring for x-ray diagnosis, coordinating care based upon key variables, and applying protective principles for scoliosis and hyperkyphosis in the clinical setting.

Objectives:

•Fundamental understanding scoliosis and hyperkyphosis
•Overview of basic science, evaluation, indications for treatment and referral
•Explanation about the PT role coordination of care
•Differentiation of physiotherapeutic scoliosis-specific exercise vs. general PT
•Descriptions for “safe practices” for entry level therapists
•References provided related to recent research on conservative management of scoliosis.